Speaking about his harrowing ordeal for the first time, the miracle survivor of a Florida boat capsizing that killed three football players in March described helplessly watching his pals vanish into the surf one by one.

“There was a good 10-minute span where I just sat on that boat and watched my best friend floating,” Nick Schuyler told HBO’s “Real Sports” in an interview to air Tuesday.

Schuyler, 25, joined best friend and former University of South Florida teammate Will Bleakley, 25, and NFL players Marquis Cooper, 26, and Corey Smith, 29, for a fishing trip in March. The close friends opted to cut the excursion short because of a looming storm but were thrown overboard when the boat capsized and were forced to cling on for dear life.

“It was scary, dark,” Schuyler said. “The waves started getting worse and worse, and the biggest thing was it was so loud with the wind and waves crashing.”

Cooper, the boat’s owner and captain, apologized to his mates as they clung to the overturned vessel under darkening skies.

“I think he felt that it was his fault,” Schuyler said.

With the storm getting violent and hopes of a rescue waning, their thoughts turned to loved ones.

Cooper began to repeat the name of his little daughter. Bleakley regretted his strained relationship with his brother. Smith pined for his family.

He described the heartbreak they felt when a search helicopter briefly buzzed overhead before flying away.

“We were screaming like there was no tomorrow,” he said. “And then the reality set in again as the helicopter pulls away.”

Cooper was the first to fall unconscious. Schuyler held his dead friend so he could give him a proper burial if they were found.

But with Smith needing immediate help, Schuyler was forced to let Cooper out of his arms to drift into oblivion.

“That was probably the hardest thing that I’ve ever had to do,” Schuyler said as his voice broke.

One by one, his friends gave in. Hypothermia caused slurring and foaming at the mouth. Smith eventually broke free of Schuyler’s grip and dove underwater to his death. Bleakley grew weak and lost consciousness.

After another 18 hours alone, a search crew found Schuyler sitting on top of the boat. Doctors called his survival a miracle.

“I think about it all the time, 20 times a day,” he said of the nightmare. “I’ll be honest — I have to pretend like I’m OK. I’m not.”